Dear all,

I've been very busy for the last one month. Some of the entries I posted before actually are my homeworks (assignments) belong to the school. Mat Jan also knows the "true story behind the scene". Another reason why I didn't update my own space is because my camera is with someone who needs it more than I do. A quote said that no music no life, for me no camera makes me no life too and it does happen to me right now.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed some people who dedicate their life to the blogosphere. Again, this work is also a case study for my professional issues course. Sorry Mat Jan because you are excluded from here. I found it's difficult to see you around even we're housemate. By the way, I shall present what I got in here.

1. How did you start blogging?
Kenny Sia :
A lot of my friends are already doing it and I felt that it was a good hobby to keep in touch with friends as well as keeping a record of things I have done. It's always interesting to read back on past entries and see how I've personally evolve over time.

Bunda Shafiya :
Bunda Start blogging sejak july 2004, sebenarnya Bunda mulai kenal blog sejak tahun 2002 sewaktu Bunda tinggal di Australia..nah saat di Australia itu, karena Bunda tak kerja...maka..banyak spare time untuk internet dan menemukan blognya Sera (http://honeybiru.org/) yang menceritakan tentang major depression yang dia rasakan setelah ibunya meninggal. Dari blog Sera, jumpa pulak Blog Rudy (Bluehikari) dan blog nya Dr MAX (kakak daripada Mat Jan). Interested membaca blog2 mereka itu lah yang membuat Bunda ingin membuat blog. Namun, keinginan membuat blog ini baru di wujudkan pada tahun 2004, ketika Bunda dah balik Indonesia. Tokrimau (http://tokrimau.tk/) tunjuk ajar Bunda cara bikin blog..di http://blogger.com/ melalui YM..:)hihihihi..

Tok Rimau:
1998, I started collecting and making political jokes on the web. The tool then was mailinglist, a many-to-many communication tool. Later, I decided to move to my own space. I didn't want to share with space with other gere of political discussions. I maintained my own web forum concentrating on political jokes. Although, I was the administrator, the web forum was still many-to-many platform. People keep on talking about other things. I couldn't control the topic. 2001, I found Blogger.com. It was the tool I was looking for. One-to-many communication tool with interactive feature. More power to the writer. Although, I am not amused with political jokes anymore, I still blog. Nowadays, I am into social commentary and digital photography.

Pakdi:
: trying for fun!


2. Have you heard of blogging before you started blogging?
Kenny Sia :
Yes. the first blog I read was around 5 years back by a girl called Cindy Khoo (thinkcink.net) back when it was still called an online journal and ppl respond on guestbooks instead of leaving comments.

Bunda Shafiya : Sudah dijawab di No.1

Tok Rimau: No. Before Blogger.com, I "blogged" on web forum and mailing list.

Pakdi:
: Yes.

3. Do you worry about offending people when you write about controversial subject?
Kenny Sia :
If its a topic I feel strongly about, I'd voice it out regardless. eg. I do not agree with the War on Iraq and whilst I know a lot of people would disagree with me, I'd still voice it out. Readers are so sensitive nowadays its impossible to make everyone happy.

Bunda Shafiya : Nope..:D Blog aku..suka suka hati aku lah...:p

Tok Rimau: Yes. I'll try my best not to accuse people of things that they don't do. I'll try my best not to direspect others. Unless they really deserve it. I try my best to focus on issue, not personalities.

Pakdi: : Sometimes. But in "non-controversial" subjects, it seems people feel ofended too. Anyway, even Quran is not accepted by all human. So do i.


4. Do you follow up on the comments readers leave behind?
Kenny Sia :
I read every single comments and e-mails left by my readers but I do not always follow up on them. Obviously time is an issue. Like every other people, I feel happy when a positive comment was posted and angry when people misinterpreted my intentions and lashed out against me. After a while I just laugh off juvenile commenters who called me names.

Bunda Shafiya : Yes, sometimes but not always..:)

Tok Rimau: Of course. The comments are like a meter that tells me how good my writing is.

Pakdi: : I want to, but so far, I can't follow up every comments. I read all of them.


5. How do you find items to blog about each day?
Kenny Sia :
The topics are all around us everyday. We probably just don't think about them or observe them as much. Inspiration could come from newspapers, from objects around you, from a comment someone said, from other blogs or websites. Its everywhere. There's never short of topic to write - just short of time.

Bunda Shafiya : About my daughter, my family, my job, current issues in my country.. and so on..

Tok Rimau: I got ideas from news, everyday events and sometimes from interaction with my kids. What I value most are views from different perspectives of common items.

Pakdi: : Reading books, magazines, news, other websites, weblog, your daily experience.

6. What do you do for a living?
Kenny Sia :
I'm an IT Manager. I source, evaluate, recommend, purchase and implement IT solutions for my company for a living.

Bunda Shafiya : I am a doctor

Tok Rimau: Teaching people to communicate.

Pakdi: : Blogging, Trading

7. Can journalistic code of ethics be applied to bloggers?
Kenny Sia :
Its up to the individual bloggers whether or not they choose to comply to the code of ethics. Nobody is going to be there to enforce it. If a journalist write something against the code of ethics, he/she could befired from his/her job but who is going to fire a blogger?

Still, I think every blogger should be responsible for the things theywrite. Authorities ARE watching on blogs and they could act on it easily if one were to tick them off.

Bunda Shafiya : Yes.. I think so... Blog..juga karya cipta kan? :-)

Tok Rimau: Yes. Bloggers get published. Bloggers should be responsible of what they write.

Pakdi: : I dont think so. Some bloggers write for themselves. Unfortunately, they become popular. But a journalist write something to be read by others.

8. What benefits have you gotten from blogging?
Kenny Sia :
Obviously my social life has expanded. A lot of people who read my blogs and sent me e-mails subsequently end up on my phonebook and became my personal friends. Blogging became a way to fast forward towards afriendship.

Apart from that, I feel I had become more observant and able to think more critically.

Bunda Shafiya : Benefits...? Banyak banget :) mulai dari bertambahnya kawan, baik dalam maupun luar negara..:) mendapatkan banyak informasi..baik dalam urusan domestics..such as recipes, child education and so on dan juga information lainnya.

Tok Rimau: I got lot of friends. I realize I can write and there are people reading my writings.

Pakdi: : Therapy, new friends, new enemies, sharing experience, learning new knowledge and 'surat ugutan' too :)

9. In your opinion, could university students gain benefit from blogging?
Kenny Sia :
Of course! I've seen students who reflect on their schoolwork on theirblogs. Their peers, teachers and even professionals would comment on what they have written. They gain perspectives from a wide range of sources and that's very empowering.

That's just one example. It is up to University students and educators to come up with an innovative use for blogging to facilitate teaching and learning.

Bunda Shafiya : Yeap..I think so..

Tok Rimau: If more people blog academic things, students can benefit by reading those entries. Nevertheless, it's a good platform to practice writing.

Pakdi: : Yes. But univ. admin wont like entries that critize them. I will encourage them because writing is a part of selling skills. I think unemployment among graduates could be reduce a little bit if some of them know how to sell themselves through writing.

10. What measures should be taken so that blogs wouldn't be misused?
Kenny Sia :
No possible measures could be put in place to prevent the abuse of blogs. However, the blogosphere itself has a self-sustainable ecosystem. If a blog is good, it will attract audience and links and survive for a long time. If a blog is bad, people wouldn't read it, link it and the really bad ones would get into trouble with the authorities and eventually die off of natural death.

Bunda Shafiya : Hm...apa ya? Misused dalam hal apa? Coba tolong jelaskan pada Bunda tentang ini..:p

Tok Rimau: Just remind Bloggers that they are responsible of what they write. Highlight the applicable laws or cyberlaws related to it.

Pakdi: : Be responsible with what u write. dont create surat layang type of blog :)

Thanks to Kenny Sia, Bunda Shafiya, Tok Rimau and Pakdi. We'd appreciate what we gave we've got back. The time is not over yet Tok, the lecturer delayed the due date to 19th Oct.

Furthermore, I also sent the same question to Mr. Lim Kit Siang but I didn't get any respons from him until now. Maybe he's being busy lately struggling on the latest issues at Parliament. Anyway, thanks to all respondents and next time shall be my victim again. hehe.